"Half or more of the fun" , said my father years ago , " of travel is in the preparation".  For the seasoned traveller this is undoubtedly true .  Its ideal to have some objectives, and arouse the curiosity in advance . In this case , reading , not only about carpets, but history , geography, modern society and political tracts have surely begun already to enrich this project . Some of the better titles will be mentioned as we go along .  This fine book , above, just came out .  It was preceeded some 40 years ago by the same author , with his first , now legendary book on the subject . Ford spent more than 40 years in the carpet business , frequently travelling to Persia and Azerbaijan .  Cambridge educated, he also progressively evolved into a serious scholar on the subject .His new title occupied him for over 10 years after his retirement , published when he had passed the 80 year age mark .  Beautifully produced , it follows his interest in his first volume in the nature and origin of patterns and styles . But he has succeeded in telling a riveting history as well and immerses us in the multiple environments which nurtured the major evolution of carpet design occuring form the 15th- 17th centuries .